Unable to get help

I am a 22 year old female suffering from chronic, daily nausea and vomiting. For 4 years I have suffered from chronic nausea and vomiting. The nausea began when I was eighteen when spontaneously for one week. The symptoms then went away, only to reappear approximately three weeks later, and they stuck for good. During the first year of chronic nausea I underwent a major surgery for triple ovarian dermoid cysts. During the surgery I got infected with C-Difficile, a bacteria in the colon that resulted in inflammation of the entire colon, or pan colitis. I was treated with two doses of antibacterial medicine, Flagyl and Vancomicin. For two years after this infection I suffered from symptoms of quiescent colitis including diarrhea, abdominal and colon pain, and some bleeding. The symptoms faded after two years, but the nausea remained.
For the first two years of my symptoms I suffered from dull nausea throughout the day with more intense nausea and some strong abdominal pain in the evenings. I have been hospitalized once for nausea and vomiting, in which they initially suspected an appendicitis as an abdominal ct showed a partially enlarged appendix, some free fluid in the abdominal cavity, and a tubular structure in my appendix. I am currently seeing a G-I specialist that will address these unresolved findings.
Over the years I have had a steady increase in vomiting and nausea. In June of 2009 I began vomiting regularly after eating. At first vomiting would occur 1-2 hours after eating. But about mid-June, 2009, I began vomiting five to ten minutes after ingesting food. I was placed on nearly every anti-nausea medication in the book (compazine, zophran, anti-nausea patches, reglan, motilium, phenergen, etc.) each of which provided relief, but this proved to be temporary for each medication. Relief for some lasted days, others weeks. Without fail, however, he relief of symptoms would end and the nausea and vomiting would resurface. I currently medicate with medical marijuana, the only anti-nausea medication that has been effective in calming my digestive system enough to combat vomiting and reduce nausea.
I have become completely dependent on medical marijuana as I am no longer able to digest food at all without nausea and vomiting. When I begin vomiting, I will vomit until my stomach is empty and then continue to dry heave until I medicate with marijuana. Currently I have been vomiting after eating or ingesting liquids quickly. I sometimes experience heartburn and then vomiting. I can also vomit from standing over, physical exertion, and spontaneously without provocation. I can confidently say that without the help of medical marijuana, I would be unable to digest food and would be dependent on hospital care.
Over the course of my symptoms I have been tested with 2 endoscopies, a colonoscopy, C-T scan of the brain, and a gastro-emptying scan that showed mild gastro-paresis. After treatment I saw no relief of symptoms, and no test showed any diagnosable digestive problems.
In the past 5 months I have been treated by a psychiatrist under the preconceived notion that the problem is psychosomatic or lies within the neurotransmitters in my brain and abdomen. My psychiatrist diagnosed me with Soft Bipolar disorder in order to explain the nausea. His theory (as he explained it to me, but I do not understand the specifics, so bear with me) was best explained in an analogy of phantom limb pain. When people experience phantom limb pain, he stated that they suffer from Soft Bipolar Disorder. The reason this pain exists is because the neurotransmitters in the brain are traumatized by overwhelming pain or discomfort, such as the amputation of a limb. Because the brain has been traumatized, it continues to send messages that the pain still exists. The neurotransmitters can be changed with medication. He then put me on the medication to repair the neurotransmitter trauma, but I saw no affect on my nausea. I am currently trying different medication to mask the symptoms, but I am told there is nothing left to do diagnostically.
I am unable to go to college full time or keep a job because of the vomiting. I have currently ran out of options, so I thought I would turn to the web with some hope of finding help and support. Thanks.

My son is nauseated daily (14 years old). He used to vomit frequently when he was younger, but now is only nauseated. He does have other symptoms, but the only one that is dibilitating is the nausea. He has a lot of tests done as well, endoscopy, colonoscopy, upper gi, ultra sound, etc. All came back fine.

He has gastroparesis, but the meds for that have not helped with the nausea. He has been diagnosed with dysautonomia or autonomic dysfunction. We are currently going through trial and error on medications to help with the nausea.

Maybe do some research on dysautonomia to see if it could be what you have. It often takes years to get this diagnosis, most doctors are not familiar with it enough to diagnos it. It took us 3 years before we got the diagnosis. There aren't a lot of doctors that treat it, so people often have to travel. We travel from St Louis to Cleveland every 3 months to see the doctors for this.

"Since May of 2009 I have had 7 surgeries. I have been in and out of the Hospital more than 15 times. I have had part of my small bowel removed twice. I have constant nausea daily, 24/7. I have been to more than 7 doctors and no one can tell me what is going on. I have had blood tests, CT scans, X-rays, etc. with no avail. I have upper abdominal pain right under my rib cage on the left side. I pass horrible smelling gas and have horrible smelling, oily stools. It looks like there is a layer of grease on the top of the water when I have a bowel movement. I have been on home care IV fluids since December to keep me alive. I have had zofran, phenergen, reglan, different muscle relaxers, pain medicines, and anxiety medications, but my nausea and vomiting do not ever go away. I have had 2 endoscopies, 1 colonscopy, and an upper G.I. scan. The test results have all been normal.

I have recently started having horrible headaches sine the beginning of January and I have never had headaches before in my life. I have had pregnancy tests and I am not pregnant. The only thing that gives me a little relief is when I go to the ER and have phenergen injected through an IV but the nausea soon returns. No doctor I have seen has been able to help me or find out what is wrong. I am wondering if any of you medical professionals out there have any ideas of what this could be.

I know my body and I know something is wrong. I feel as though the doctors are just masking the symptoms (or trying to) but they are not finding the root problem. I don't have a gallbladder and I had gastric bypass 6 years ago. I continue to lose weight because I can't eat and really don't want to because it makes me sick. I am 5'9, 25 years old, and 148lbs.

If anyone has any suggestions or helpful guidance please help! I need to know why I am feeling this way."

I'm so sorry you are struggling, but I can't tell you how much it helps to know that someone is experiencing literally the exact same thing that I am. I truly thought I was alone. The Doctor's can't find anything and I feel the same way you do.

I'm so happy you have found relief with medical marijuana. They don't use that in Utah or I would get on it in a second. It sounds like it helps you greatly and that would be amazing. I don't have much advice, because I am dealing with the same thing and no one can find anything, but please know that I am here for support or a listening hear if you ever need one. Good luck to you and God Bless. :)

I just wanted to give an update of what is going on with me. They have finally figured out what is wrong and it's going to require major surgery. I had gastric bypass 5 years ago and with the scopes I had done last week they were able to see that it was closed badly and is leaking. I have extreme bacterial infections throughout my intestines because of this, and many other problems. To fix it they have to go in and do a complete gastric bypass revision. They have to start from scratch and it will be as if I have an entire new bypass with all new parts. My entire digestive system is going to be rebuilt. I will have 4 feet of small intestine removed, a new stomach pouch made, and then they will connect everything back up. They said that if I don't have this I will die a slow death, but there is no doubt that it will kill me. They are 85% sure that this will fix me and also about a 94% chance that I will live. Those are not perfect guarantees but it is either that or die, so I'm choosing to fight. I go in for surgery in 2 weeks and we'll go from there. They are planning on a 12-14 hour surgery, a 1 1/2-2 month Hospital stay, and about a 6 month recovery. This is a huge process, but to save my life it is something that I absolutely have to do. So thank you for all your concern and support! Please keep me in your prayers and I will continue to keep you all updated. Thank you so much again! I feel like I have truly made good friends on this site. :)

The Content on this Site is presented in a summary fashion, and is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be and should not be interpreted as medical advice or a diagnosis of any health or fitness problem, condition or disease; or a recommendation for a specific test, doctor, care provider, procedure, treatment plan, product, or course of action. Med Help International, Inc. is not a medical or healthcare provider and your use of this Site does not create a doctor / patient relationship. We disclaim all responsibility for the professional qualifications and licensing of, and services provided by, any physician or other health providers posting on or otherwise referred to on this Site and/or any Third Party Site. Never disregard the medical advice of your physician or health professional, or delay in seeking such advice, because of something you read on this Site. We offer this Site AS IS and without any warranties. By using this Site you agree to the following Terms and Conditions. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.